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Published Aug 2014
432 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
From Susan Vreeland, bestselling author of such acclaimed novels as Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Luncheon of the Boating Party, and Clara and Mr. Tiffany, comes a richly imagined story of a woman's awakening in the south of Vichy France—to the power of art, to the beauty of provincial life, and to love in the midst of war.
In 1937, young Lisette Roux and her husband, André, move from Paris to a village in Provence to care for André's grandfather Pascal. Lisette regrets having to give up her dream of becoming a gallery apprentice and longs for the comforts and sophistication of Paris. But as she soon discovers, the hilltop town is rich with unexpected pleasures.
Pascal once worked in the nearby ochre mines and later became a pigment salesman and frame maker; while selling his pigments in Paris, he befriended Pissarro and Cézanne, some of whose paintings he received in trade for his frames. Pascal begins to tutor Lisette in both art and life, allowing her to see his small collection of paintings and the Provençal landscape itself in a new light. Inspired by Pascal's advice to "Do the important things first," Lisette begins a list of vows to herself (#4. Learn what makes a painting great). When war breaks out, André goes off to the front, but not before hiding Pascal's paintings to keep them from the Nazis' reach.
With German forces spreading across Europe, the sudden fall of Paris, and the rise of Vichy France, Lisette sets out to locate the paintings (#11. Find the paintings in my lifetime). Her search takes her through the stunning French countryside, where she befriends Marc and Bella Chagall, who are in hiding before their flight to America, and acquaints her with the land, her neighbors, and even herself in ways she never dreamed possible. Through joy and tragedy, occupation and liberation, small acts of kindness and great acts of courage, Lisette learns to forgive the past, to live robustly, and to love again.
"Starred Review. Vreeland's passionate writing is as good as a private showing at the Louvre." - Kirkus
"The book's most touching moments...intertwine art with human connections, such as how the love between Marc and Bella Chagall - in hiding from the Nazis in Provence - is evoked through his work." - Booklist
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Susan Vreeland is the New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including Clara and Mr. Tiffany and Girl in Hyacinth Blue. She died in August 2017 aged 71.
In her own words ....
Coming out of the Louvre for the first time in 1971, dizzy with new love, I
stood on Pont Neuf and made a pledge to myself that the art of this newly
discovered world in the Old World would be my life companion. Never had
history been more vibrant, its voices more resonating, its images more
gripping. On this first trip to Europe, I felt myself a pilgrim: To me, even
secular places such as museums and ruins were imbued with the sacred.
Painting, sculpture, architecture, music, religious and social history--I
was swept away with all of it, wanting to read more, to learn languages...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Susan Vreeland's Website
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